Rein-holder



(No Model.)

M. WALTER.

REIN HOLDER.

No. 317,690. Patented May 12, 1885.

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the driver of the team stops, drops his reins,

'NITED, STATES FFICEW MERRITT IVALTER, OF N EW LOTHROP, MICHIGAN.

REIN-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,690, dated May 12, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MERRIT'I WALTER, of New Lothrop, in the county of Shiawassee and State of Michigan, having invented new and useful Improvements in ReirrHolders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of rein-holders, especially designed to be secured to the front end-board of a wagon.

The invention consists in the peculiar coni struction, combination, and operation of the parts, as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, A represents the upper end of the front end-board of a wagon, upon the top of which is secured a thin rubbing-plate, O, of sheet metal, by means of screws at each end of said plate.

B represents a strip of spring-steel, with its ends curved upwardly, and this strip is centrally secured to the rubbing-plate and to the end-board by means of one or more screws, which perform the double office of securing the rubbing-plate to the end-board and the spring-strip and center of the rubbing-plate together and to said end-board.

The utility of this device is obvious. When jumps out of the wagon, and hitches his team, while he goes to attend to business, on his return he finds in almost all cases the reins down under the horses feet, where they have been stamped upon, injured, and fouled. With this device attached to his wagon, instead of dropping his reins, he passes one of them under one end of the spring-plate and the other under the other end of said spring-plate,wliere 1 they are securely held, ready to be released when desired. The device is more especially designed for farmers wagons, and maybe secured upon any desired part of the wagonbody where the driver can easily reach it.

I am aware of the Patents Nos. (59,935 and 80,434, and make no claim to the constructions shown therein as forming part of my invention. I attach importance to my rubbingplate (1, which, being inserted between the wood-work of the wagon and the plate B, prevents marring of the wood-work by the constant rubbing of the reins. I also deem it important that the spring-plate B be so bent as to leave a gradn all y-increasing distance between itself and the rubbing-plate, from near its center outward toward its ends, for this construction not only furnishes a guide for the reins, but permits of the reception of reins of different thicknesses, readily yielding to and accommodating the diii'erent thicknesses of the reins.

I am also aware of the Patents Xos. 118,775 and 189,213, and make no claim to anything shown therein as forming part of my invention, but limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is- The combination, with awagon-body, of the metal rubbing-plate G, secured thereto, and the spring-plate 13, secured at its center di rectly to the wagon and to said rubbing-plate, and bent, as shown, to leave a space between itself and the rubbing-plate, said space graduallyincreasing from the center of said spring plate toward its ends, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

MERRIT'I \VALTER.

\Vitnesses:

H. S. SPRAGUE, E. J. SoULLY. 

